Havill has written numerous newspaper and magazine articles, as well as eleven books, many of which are available as recorded audio discs.
On that day he joined the U.S. Army where he became a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and also the editor of its Fort Bragg, N.C. newspaper, The Paraglide.
Told he could not write editorially for USN&WR he began freelancing which led to positions in various advertising and public relations agencies.
A year later he authored Deep Truth, a joint biography of journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
Months later, Havill authored Born Evil, an account of the crimes of serial killer Hadden Clark.